Tranftulit in cœlum Chrifti prafentia clauftrum ; It is your own unbelief and impatiency that gives you more trouble than the condition. 2. No keeper can keep the comforter from you, if you be the Lord's prifoners, Acts xvi. If they could bar out the Spirit from you, it would be a difmal place indeed: But ordinarily, there the faints have their cleareft vifions of God, and sweetest presence of the Spirit. You are the Lord's freemen, whilft men's prifoners: All the world cannot diveft you of the fate of liberty Chrift hath purchased for you, John viii. 36. 3. Though a prifon looks fad and difmal, yet it is not hell: Oh blefs God for that, that is a fad prifon indeed! Beloved, men have their prifons, and God hath his: God's prifon is a terrible prifon indeed, thousands are now there in chains, 1 Pet. iii. 19. and there you deferved to have been fent long ago: If God exchange an hell for a prifon, have you any caufe to complain? 4. How obdurate and cruel foever men are to you, yet the Lord Jefus is kind and tender-hearted to his prifoners, he puts the kindneffes that any fhew them upon his own account, Matth. xxv. 36. "He looks down from heaven to hear the fighings and groanings of "his prisoners," Pfal. cii. 20. He will tenderly fympathize with you in all your prifon-ftraits and troubles. 5. A prifon hath been handfelled and perfumed by the best and holiest of men in all ages, 1 Kings xxii. 27. Jer. xxxii. 2. Matth. iv. 12. Acts v. 18. and xxvi. 10. God hath made it a settled school of difcipline to them. 6. Should, you, to avoid a prifon, commit a fin, inftead of being man's prifoner, you fhall be clapt up by God, for he hath a prison for your fouls even in this world, Pfal. cxlii. 7. And this is ten thousand times more dreadful than any dungeon in the world. Oh it is a dark prifon! nothing to let in the least beam of God's countenance upon your poor fouls. What a fad exchange have you made then? 7. Confider what a ground of comfort God hath laid in that word, Rev. ii. 10. to obviate the fears and terrors incident to us in fuch a condition: God hath limited Satan and his inftruments, both for time, number, and all circumstances of the trial. 8. Laftly, You do not know what a mercy may be in it: It may be a time of retirement from the world, and the clamours and diftractions that are abroad. Thefe days of imprisonment may be your holy-days; as a prisoner of Chrift once called them. 4. Get an heart mortified to the exceffive and inordinate love of life: This, I confefs, is the highest and hardest point of self-denial, VOL. VI. H • If the prefence of Chrift once changed a prifon into a kind of heaven, what will it do in heaven itself, which even here doth make a dungeon like heaven? because it wraps up all other self-interefts in it. But yet confider, Firft, Though life be very dear, yet Jefus Chrift is ten thousand times dearer than thy life: If you be a faint, he is the life of thy life, and the length of thy days; and in comparison of him and his glory, faints thould, and have defpifed and flighted their lives, Luke xiv. 26. Rev. xii. 11. Secondly, Die you must: and if by fhrinking from Christ you fhould protract a miferable life for a few days longer, in the mean time lofing that which is better than life, Pfal. Ixiii. 3. Matth. x. 39Oh! when you lie upon your death-bed, you will wish that you had obeyed God's call, and fo have departed in peace. Thirdly, If you have cordially covenanted with Chrift, (as all fincere believers have done), then you have yielded up your lives to him, to be difpofed of for his glory, Rom. xiv. 7. So that, look as Chrift both lived and died for you; fo ought you to live as Chrift: And all the excellency you fee in life confifts in that reference and fubferviency it hath to his glory. I fay then, if you have understandingly and cordially tranfacted in a covenant-way with him, your care will not be so much how to fhun death, as by what death you may moft glorify God, John xxi. 19. And certainly you can never lay them down upon a more honourable or comfortable account than in his caufe, and for his fake. It was a great trouble to Luther, that he carried his blood to his grave. Fourthly, To die for Chrift, is one of the highest testifications of your love to Chrift that you are capable of, John xiii. 37. Yea, it is fuch a teftification of your love to the Lord Jefus, as angels are not capable of making. Fifthly, Why fhould you decline even a violent death for Chrift, when as the bitterness of death is past, and there is no hell following the pale horse? It cannot feparate you from Chrift, Rom. viii. 38. Sixthly, Think what a death Chrift fuffered for you: In which the fulness of the wrath both of God and man met together, fo that he was fore amazed; yet with defire did he defire it for your fakes. 7. Laftly, Think what a life you fhall have with Chrift as foon as this is delivered up to, and for him, 2 Tim. ii. 12. It is but wink, and you fhall fee God. Oh that these things might provoke you to follow on, and ply the work of mortification. CHAP. XI. Wherein is opened the fingular advantage that fuffering faints have by their feill and infight into the methods and myfteries of Satan's temptations; fome of thofe wiles of Satan opened, and rules for the avoiding of the danger briefly prefcribed. HE hazards and dangers of Chriftians in times of persecution, arife not fo much from their fufferings, as from the tempta tions that always attend, and are by Satan planted upon their fufferings: for the moft part, fufferings and temptations go together, Heb. xi. 37. And therefore it behoves fuch as are, or expect to be called to fufferings, to dive into the myfteries of temptations, and be well acquainted with the enemy's defigns upon then. So was Paul, and fo he supposes all others to be that engage in the fame cause: "We "are not ignorant of his devices," 2 Cor. ii. 11. There is a manifold advantage redounding to fuffering faints thereby. 1. He that is well acquainted with the methods of temptation, will be better able to defcry the first approaches and beginnings of it, and a temptation difcovered, is more than half conquered. It is a fpecial artifice of Satan to fhuffle in his temptations as undifcernibly as may be into the foul; for he knows, that "in vain is the net "fpread in the fight of any bird," Prov. i. 17. And therefore he ordinarily makes a fuffering feason to be a tempting season; because fufferings, like fire to iron, make it impreffive and operable, they do ordinarily put the foul into an hurry and diftraction, and fo gives him an advantage to tempt the foul with lefs fufpicion and greater fuccefs. But now, a skilful Chriftian that is acquainted with his wiles, will discern when he begins to enter into temptation; as Chrift's expreffion is, Luke xxii. 46. And fo check the temptation in its first rife when it is weakeft, and most easily broken. Doubtlefs one reason why fo many fall by temptation is, because it is got within them, and hath prevailed far before it be discovered to be a temptation. 2. He that is well acquainted with Satan's methods of tempting, will not only difcern it fooner than another; but also knows his work and duty, and how to manage the conflict with it, which is a great matter. There are many poor fouls that labour under strong temptations, and know not what to do: They go up and down complaining from Christian to Christian, whilft the judicious Chriftian plies to the throne of grace with strong cries, fee 2 Cor. xii. 8. keeps up his watch, Luke xxii. 46. countermines the temptation, by affaulting that corruption, by endeavours of mortification, which Satan affaults by temptation, 1 Cor. ix. 27. 3. Laftly, To name no more; he that is beft acquainted with the myftery of temptation, and can maintain his ground against it, he fhall be the perfevering Chriftian under perfcutions, and the victorious Chrif tian over them. Here lies the main defign of Satan, in raising persecution against the faints. It is not fo much their blood that he thirsteth after, as their fall by temptation: and all perfecutions are designed by him to introduce his temptations. These work upon our fear, and fear drives us into his trains and fnares, Prov. xxix. 25. The devil's work in raifing perfecution, is but as the fowler's work in beating the bush in the night, when the net is spread to take the birds, which he can affright out of their coverts. He that understands this, is not eafily moved by the ftrongeft oppofition, from his place and duty; and fo is like to prove the most constant and invincible Chrif tian in times of perfecution. Oh then, how neceffary is it, that fince all perfecutions are intended as means to promote temptation, and that skill and infight into thefe defigns of Satan fo advantages as to fruftrate his defigns. in both? I fay, how neceffary is it that you should be all inftructed wherein the ftrength of temptation lies; as alfo how to refift those ftrong and dangerous temptations, which your fufferings only are intended to usher in, and make way for? It will not be unfeasonable or impertinent, then, in this chapter, to fhew you, First, Wherein the force and efficacy of temptation lieth; Secondly, What you are to do, when in a suffering hour fuch temptation shall affault you. And first, Queft. Wherein doth the efficacy and power of temptation lie? Sol. I anfwer, It lies principally in three things. I. In the kind and nature of the temptation. II. In the craft and policy of Satan in managing it. III. In that fecret correfpondency that Satan hath with our corruptions. I. It lies in the kind and nature of the temptation itself; for it is moft certain, that all temptations are not alike forcible and dangerous. Some are ordinarily more fuccessful than others; and fuch are thefe that follow. 1. Strange and unusual temptations, I mean not fuch as none have been troubled with before us; for there is not a dart in Satan's quiver, but hath been let fly at the breafts of other faints, before it was levelled at ours, 1 Cor. x. 13. But by ftrange and unufual, I mean fuch as the people of God are but rarely troubled with, and poffibly we were never exercifed with before. These are the more dangerous, because they daunt and amaze the foul, and ordinarily beget defpondency, even as fome ftrange difeafe would do that we know not what to make of, nor can learn that others have been fick of. 2. Mark them for most dangerous temptations, that are adapted and fuited to your proper fin, or evil conftitution: For certainly that is the most dangerous crifis of temptation when it tries a man there. Now, if he be not truly gracious, he falls by the root irrecoverably, Luke xxii. 5, 6. Or if fincere, yet without special affistance, and extraordinary vigilance, he falls fcandalously, 2 Sam. xi. 2. compared with Sam. xvi. 12. 3. When it is a spiritual temptation, which rifes undiscernibly out of the Chriftian's duties. This is the lefs fufpected, because tempta tions usually come from the ftrength and liveliness of corruptions; but this, from the flaughter and conquefts we make of them. Duties, and enlargements in them, which are the poifon of other lufts, prove the food and fuel of this, 1 Cor. iv. 7, 8. And how much the more covert and close any temptation is, by fo much the more dangerous it is. II. The ftrength and efficacy of temptation lies much in the skill and policy of Satan in the management of it: And hence they are called wiles, methods, and devices, 2 Cor. ii. 11. Eph. vi. 11. and himself an old ferpent, Rev. xii. 9. And among the rest of his deep and defperate ftratagems these following are remarkable. i. In employing fuch inftruments to manage his temptations as are leaft fufpected, and have the greateft influence. A Teacher, Gal. ii. 14. A wife, Gen iii. 6. Job ii. 9. Friends, Acts xxi. 13. The devil knows it is a bad bufirefs, and therefore must make the best of it; Paul's foreft trial was by his dearest friends. 2. In the orderly difpofition and ranging of his temptations, beginning with little things firft, and then by degrees working over to greater. His first motions are commonly moft modeft, Gen. iii. 1. Should he difcover the depth of his defign at firft, it would startle the foul, and make it reply as Hazael, "Am I a dog that I fhould do "thus?" It is far cafier to gain his end by parts, than putting for all at once. 3. In endeavouring to engage the foul upon his own ground. I mean to tempt him from his ftation and duty where God fets, and expects to find him. He knows while you are with God, God is with you, 2 Chron. xv. 2. Whilft a man abides there, he abides with God, I Cor. vii. 24. Whilft he is there, the promife is a good breast-work to keep off all his darts: And therefore, as fifhers, when they have fpread their nets in the river, beat the the fishes out of their coverts and caverns; fo doth Satan. 4. In not prefenting the temptation, till the foul be prepared to receive it. He loves to ftrike when the iron is hot. He first lets their troubles come to an height, brings them to the prifon, gibbet, or fire, and then offers them deliverance, Heb. xi. 35, 37. 5. In tiring our fouls with a long continuance of temptations. What he cannot win by a fudden form he hopes to gain by a tedious fege. Forty days together he affaulted the Captain of our faivation, Mark i. 13. And truly it is a wonder the foul yields not at laft, that hath been tried long, Pfal. cxxv. 3. "When the rod of the wicked "lies long upon the back of the righteous, it is much if he put not "forth his hand to iniquity." 6. In falling moft violently upon them, when they are lowest and moft proftrate in their spirits and comforts: So he affualted Job with a temptation, to curfe God and die, when he fat in that deplorable state upon the dunghill, Job ii. 8, c. He loves to fall upon us, as Simeon and Levi did upon the Shechemites, when we are fore and wounded: And therefore ordinarily you find times of divine defertions to be times. of diabolical temptations. So that, look, as the wild beasts of the defart come out of their dens in the night, and then roar after their prey, |